A Combined Injectable and Fractional 1470 nm Laser Approach for the Management of Facial Atrophic Acne Scars: Prospective Ultrasound-Based Evaluation.
Combined subcision, filler, and laser therapy linked to 86% drop in scar depth
A Combined Injectable and Fractional 1470 nm Laser Approach for the Management of Facial Atrophic Acne Scars: Prospective Ultrasound-Based Evaluation.
Acne vulgaris affects up to 80% of individuals aged 11-30 years and frequently results in permanent scarring with significant psychosocial impact.
This prospective single-arm case series evaluated the safety and high-frequency ultrasound-assessed morphological changes in a combined protocol integrating subcision, PEGDE-crosslinked hyaluronic acid supplemented with calcium hydroxyapatite (calcium hydroxyapatite), and fractional 1470 nm diode laser therapy in patients with facial atrophic acne scars.
Twenty patients (aged 18-42 years, Fitzpatrick phototypes I-II) with moderate-to-severe atrophic acne scars underwent subcision of fibrotic adhesions using a 22G cannula combined with a single subcutaneous injection of 2 mL PEGDE-crosslinked hyaluronic acid with calcium hydroxyapatite microparticles on day 0, followed by two sessions of fractional 1470 nm diode laser therapy on days 7 and 28.
scars became far shallower after treatment
All participants completed the protocol without serious adverse events.
In linear mixed-effects models accounting for within-patient clustering of the two lesions assessed per participant, the reductions in both depth and diameter were statistically significant at every follow-up timepoint relative to baseline (all p < 0.001).
These ultrasound findings were not corroborated by a control group, blinded assessment, validated clinical grading, or patient-reported outcomes.
In this single-arm case series, the combined subcision, PEGDE-crosslinked HA-CaHA filler, and fractional 1470 nm diode laser protocol was well tolerated and associated with progressive, sustained reductions in high-frequency ultrasound-measured scar depth and diameter.
As an uncontrolled, unblinded study without validated clinical grading or patient-reported outcomes, these findings are preliminary and require confirmation in larger, controlled trials.